The Ballad of a Boy Named Suicide.

[Sophitia]

Sophitia glared at Ana, who constantly barked orders. Blythe was still being watched, even though she acted casual, once Ana showed up. Ed quickly caught her attention. The blood had been noted by her growing dizziness. It was a stench she strangely welcomed. There was the other human, whom she could readily feed on, but it was Ed she went to. His blood caked form excited her senses. She was still young and had no sense of what she was really getting into.

She walked up to him, her eyes glowing with a feverish need. The need for blood had grown to such a desperate extent, that she couldn't control herself- she licked the remaining blood off of his skin. She was still too young to understand that she could easily kill a grown man. Barely being the height of a ten year old, her leftover conscious was still convincing her that she was helpless.

After having her desires, she removed herself from Ed. He would be shocked, maybe even appalled, but she didn't care at that moment.

"Find me blood, Ed. Find it for me now!"

Was she using him as her puppet? It was true that they had become close. Sophitia constantly felt as if she should by his side.

[Sage]

Edicius

Insanity. All Ed's life, he had been serving at the feet of another to ensure his survival. His mother, the kinetics, the assassins. He'd come to Kalmarden to be free of these bonds, but everything around him had gone downhill quite rapidly. He was going to start a life after helping the mild and sweet little Sophi, and maybe work for Kraven and Ana as somewhat of a farmhand. Now he was being attacked by Kraven, and ordered around by what were essentially his new mother and sister. He could not stand the thought of what was happening to his life, but then again, Sophi was healthy even if she was a monster. And she had the potential to be happy if all this tension would dissipate.

He stood quietly as Ana screeched at him, and Sophi licked off his face and chest, before ranting at him for more. He sighed as he strolled, at first, toward the quivering man and then broke into a run, leaping for his shoulders, aiming at them with his knees. He collided into the man's torso and rode him to the ground, as he whipped out two menacing curved blades from the back of his waist which slung forward and crossed inside the man's neck as he decapitated him, cleanly severing the spine. He stayed astride the dead body as he reached up for a fine porcelain jug and collected the spraying and spurting blood that issued forth from the open neck. He turned and held the tainted thing out toward Sophi, leaning it slightly so that blood would begin to drip from it's rim, to show her it's contents.

He would stand still as she retrieved the object, or drank straight from it, either way. Then, malice in his young eyes, he stared at Ana, his features seeming to continually change where he stood.

" Why? Why bring us here and do this to us? What would possess anyone to do this to someone, and then scold them when they are less than ecstatic to accept the fate laid before them. Just tell me this, my most gracious nightmare. If we should choose...can we even die to escape this? "

[Jen]

Ana delighted in Sophi, watching her devour the blood with a vengence.

"There you are, my child. See isn't it easy?" She smiled as Sophi ordered Ed about like a puppet. She reached out and touched the top of Sophi's head, cooing at the child like an indulgent parent. "Warm blood is the best. You'll see." Anabel smiled and touched a fingertip to her lips. She let out a gleeful girlish giggle and looked about for Kraven. He would be amused, no doubt, by her own amusement. It was Ed that broke her source of entertainment, however, with his nagging.

"You will come to understand that you will not question me. Ever. I am the first and the oldest, and I will choose whom I want in my particular circle of followers. Of course, if you would that the girl died I can have that arranged so it would be as none of this had ever occurred."

Blythe caught Ana's attention as she fluttered helplessly along the sidelines. Her green eyes were rampant with jealousy and it caused Ana some satisfaction. This small girl child had power in her that could very well replace favorites within the Mother's court of attendees. Blythe knew that, had witnessed it first hand. Ana could smell the fear and jealousy waft off the girl. Time would tell whether or not Blythe would be true or try to reclaim her place at the table. Not once did Blythe take her green eyes off Sophi -- and so did not see Ana looking at her.

"Kraven, we have attendees coming from beyond Kalmarden. Some children of the desert I believe. This place should be made spotless for their arrival." Ana paused for a moment and lifted her chin, walking to the shattered window to stare into the woods. "We will have other guests. Human and not. They are curious about the commotion. See to it that the boy behaves himself. We cannot afford to have a riot and have him killed for his transgressions. He is still useful to me." With that, Ana dropped out of the window onto the lawn below to speak with the Vampires converging on the Lawn -- those that had been within the mansion during its upheaval. She was careless of the glass and rock on the ground and so, gorged with blood as she was, some of it seeped from cuts before they could heal themselves, but no one dared touch her as she wandered among the crowd -- talking to those she needed to assess and those that needed to perform jobs for her.

[Sophitia]

Sophitia was beginning to realize herself. During her transition, she had realized who was in charge: Ana. Ana could call night and day, with a mere whimsical thought. It bothered her, but also forced her to be careful of her path. When Ana talked of children, and seemingly normal occurrences, she glared at Ed- he had ruined her feeding. She found herself in front of Ana. The coldness from the creature no longer made her skin crawl. Ana's eyes should frighten her, but they only intrigued her stubborn mind. What was really behind those eyes? Could she ever find her fear? It was a new personal challenge for Sophitia.

"Let me entertain the children!" The idea had just struck her: she could entertain the children and maybe turn someone in the future. She wouldn't mind having another friend- if Ana allowed it. This new social circle was proving to be a difficult one. Blythe had just become her enemy and Ed was now a mere puppet. She had no one of use to her, except for Ana.

"Please, Ana! I will make them forget about what they saw or heard!"

[Sage]

Edicius

The further along things went, the more disgusted Ed became with it. He absolutely loathed Blythe, and Kraven for what they had done here. He could not bring himself, for some odd sensation, to turn his ire on Ana but his mind recognized that she was not an ally. She was more of someone whose power over him was to be defeated, but recognized so long as he had not yet accomplished it. He carefully placed the jug of life on the ground, and turned his vicious gaze on Sophi. She was going through a very unpleasant metamorphosis, and was beginning to consider him less and less a friend and more a thing to order around. Ed's more tender feelings for her slipped slightly, but he had done this, and therefore still was compelled to feel a responsibility for her safety and sanity.

As long as Ana did not directly order him against finding a cure for their condition, or attempting to find a way for their escape, he still had a glimmer of hope. A sickly feeling spread through him as he heard Sophi plead to do Ana's bidding.

Who's the puppet now?

Still you, child.

Ed was startled at the foreign voice in his head, and he instinctively turned to see who was talking, but the voice of Kraven was there without his presence. Almost on cue, however, Kraven and a strange entourage entered the room. Kraven seemed weak, but recovering from what should have been a mortal wound without serious medical intervention. He was support on pillars that were made up of 4 men in white cloaks with silver linings and designs. Their faces were partially obscured, but their eyes seemed to be almost supernaturally visible, even if he turned away from them, staring at him with the most intense hatred he could possibly describe. Their eyes were alert, and their faces vigilant and angry, but they each had dark circles beneath their eyes as though they had not slept in months. Kraven was speaking aloud now to Ana as she retreated out the window, but Ed heard different words in his own mind that did not match the moving of his mouth.

Tell your master, then. Are you not compelled more than we to be her loyal dog?

Do not test me, neither you or the girl are beyond escaping my wrath even should you escape Ana. Unless you plan to cease thought for the rest of your lives.

Then what? You wait for us to escape, feigning ignorance to her, and then track us and kill us?

Not at all. Like I said, you can be replaced, she would understand that. Kraven could not even be sure of his own words, to disappoint Ana so bluntly? Too bad the boy could not read his thoughts as Kraven could his.

Then tell me. Tell me how this thing that has come over me works and we will be gone. You can have me, if you leave her. Is she not innocent here?

Amusing... Fine. I do possess texts, dealing with your kind. You are welcome to them, after you finish fixing the mess you've made here. I'd like to add that while you are doing this work, you are forbidden to use your powers over nature.

She specified no such condi-

These are my conditions! And if you want freedom, you will adhere to them.

Kraven

Kraven felt the child Ed's thoughts before he ever reached the upper floors with the help of his elite, whom he had mentally beckoned. They had brought him sustenance and would support him until he had regenerated his lost blood and was capable of completing his duties on his own again. Edicius had made a dire mistake, and he would eventually pay for it with his life, he made sure Ed knew that now, as he spoke to him mentally while he added a facade to the other people in the room.

" Very well, Mistress. I will see to it that the boy makes the necessary repairs, and me and mine will see to the cleaning personally, if it should please you. "

Kraven turned to Blythe, giving her a heated look briefly, before turning to the girl, whom had not yet fed upon the blood that had been provided for her, and even retrieved by her companion. Spoiled child.

" Eat, and do not complain about free meals, or you will be stripped of them. "

Kraven did not usually partake in the ordering about or disciplining of vampires, that was Ana's realm of duty. But most vampires were not gifts retrieved specifically for the purpose of making her world more pleasant, and he would make sure these children did just that even if he had to resort to trickery and subterfuge in the case of Ed, and mental repression and threat of violence in the case of his companion. Kraven did not wait for any response, almost daring her to attempt and defy him as he ambled with the help of his guard toward the open window. Kraven had a theory about how to control vampires, though he had never tested it. But Sophi was as good a subject as any should she decide to become as defiant as Ed, to test such a theory.

The men around him, and appeared on the grounds below, sticking far behind Ana, but not letting her out of their sight. And as she did, a small detachment of Kraven's men came out of the forest, lesser ranks whom could not arrive as quickly as his elites. They wore cloaks of the blackest night, with gold embroidery, and maneuvered much more fluidly as they hurried toward the Estate. In total there were seven of them, and they moved in somewhat of a wing-formation, with one man at the head and three each on his flank a few steps behind. Kraven had very few soldiers, all human with similar backgrounds, whom guarded the VonHagen Estates with him during the day time, though they shared in Kraven's training in being able to stay up twenty-four-seven. Eventually all elven men began to melt into a pattern, with the white-cloaked men taking up a post at each corner of the building, with each black-cloaked man moving to an evenly-spaced point along the edge of the grounds, places where they had stood thousands of times in the past with constant vigilance, and without question.

Mistress, if you'll speak with my captain, I can have my remaining Guard escort your guests in. It is almost the full moon. Just tell him where to send the others.

[Jen]

Blythe huffed viciously and burst through a door, splintering it beyond repair. Who cared, anyway? Everything else needed mending. She was careful to do this outside of Ana's watchful gaze. The girl child. This Sophi had to be taken care of. Frowning intently as she marched a path to her quarters, Blythe fumed the longer she thought of the child.

"To hell with her!" A mean hearted smile appeared on the pretty girl's face. The plans were already set in her head.

-------------

Ana glanced backwards at the window as she dispersed some of her young to prowl the grounds. She heard Kraven's wish and nodded, seeking out his Captain and finding the man in short order.

"The guests will be on the road just beyond the woods. The others are in the woods." Ana glanced up at the sky as the moon began to reach its zenith. "Tomorrow will be the full moon. Emissaries from the Wolves will arrive tonight." Ana paused for a moment and tilted her head toward the south, as if listening intently to something.

"They will reach us before dawn. Kraven will have to meet with the Wolves. The timing will be off before the sun rises and I cannot be outside."

Vampires were scurrying everywhere of every shape and make. Some had been turned when in the throes of death, some had hideous markings on their face, arms, or torso. Some were disfigured in such a way as to seem disgusting monsters. Truely it almost seemed as if Ana were surrounded by a circus of freaks, she the very ring-leader. It was not always so, of course. Sometimes vampires were made of pretty children, such as Sophi, or pretty women such as Blythe. There were even useful handsome men to be had within this very web of Vampires -- though they were not thin and lithe as most vampire males are thought to be. They were large and well built, once hard working farmers or smiths in the village beyond. They were good men and even better vampires. The one thing each vampire had in common was the need for blood and a lean body without much fat. Though there were quite a few women, such as Ana, who had curves fit to rattle any human male's desire.

------------------

It wasn't long before Blythe was back in the room. A dagger carefully hidden in the back of her belt. She had been around Kraven long enough to guard her thoughts well. She could put on a front, make him think that she had gotten over her displacement. Truely, it was just a guise, and she needed it for only a few moments.

Things would happen very quickly once everything was started. Blythe took a deep breath and put on a pretty smile as she watched Kraven and Ed turn in the same direction, no doubt in a heated debate about something. The time was ripe.

-----------------

Ana felt it first. She always felt strange when something about her children was about to go amiss, especially the freshly turned ones. Some might call it a mothering instinct. She turned and sprinted for the broken mansion like hell itself had risen beneath her feet to take her home. She was at the manor in a matter of seconds. She pushed her hands into cracks as she began to scale the wall.

Sophi.

Kraven would hear it, but his reaction time would be just a fraction slower than hers. She launched herself into the room, only twenty seconds after her "feeling". She saw the glitter of the knife.

Ana sprinted with all of her strength toward the glare of the knife.

Blythe was closer to Sophi than Ana had been to Blythe.

-------------------

Blythe launched herself at Sophi with the knife raised. Her intention was to surprise the child by tackling her, pinning her, then slicing her pretty little head off. It would teach the little bitch to play with fire, thats for sure. Sure, Ana would be mad -- but the allure of killing the girl child was far too great. She had done Blythe a wrong, and Blythe intended to fix it.

It would be inevitable for Blythe to connect with Sophi -- but the gutteral snarl that slashed through the room was something not even Blythe had counted on.

--------------------

Ed and Kraven both would be too slow to react, too caught up in their own debate to really be of any service to the women. When Ana's body hit Blythe's it was a sickening sound, as if limbs were breaking. Ed might worry for Sophi alone, but there would be no harm for the child. Ana crouched at Sophi's feet, snarling like a thousand demons bent on destruction. The knife, as Ana found, was no longer in Blythe's hands but tumbling among the rubble in the room.

She smiled.

Uncoiling like a viper, Anabel VonHagen launched herself at Blythe. The girl crouched and defended herself, reacting with instinct. Her nails dug into Anabel's arms, creating long scratch marks that glistened with blood, the mark of a gorged vampire. Blythe reached for something at her belt, something else that glistened with deadly intent. She was beyond reason now.

It was a flurry of arms and a few growls of pain before Ana had Blythe by the neck. She raised the girl a few inches off the ground, blood dripping from her fingertips, a knife in her hand. She shook Blythe so savagely that the girl howled with pain. She walked with the girl toward Kraven, a gaping hole just under her ribs -- which would have been fatal had she been human. Anabel dropped the second knife that had produced this wound on her body, and slammed the girl in one fluid motion -- into the floor. The already dismantled floor cracked further, threatening to give way as it had for Kraven.

Take her from me. Before I kill her. She will die, but I want it to be slowly. Dawn will be perfect. She spoke to Kraven's mind as she squeezed Blythe's neck, threatening to pop her head from her shoulders even then.

"Sophi is mine. She is under my protection. You forget my powers in your laziness, Blythe." Ana frowned and pushed back from Blythe to find a seat. Her blood was draining, but it was slowing now -- but the process of healing such a large wound was taxing and she felt a little weak.

"Come to me child." Ana motioned for Sophi, holding out a hand which had blood dripping from the very tips of her fingers. The cuts on her arms were slowly healing. "Take your fill." It was the first time, in a very long time, that Ana had graced any of her own turned vampirelings with her blood. It could be that Ed might lose the girl altogether. "And yes, you may entertain our guests. I think you would be a pretty little entertainer."

[Sophitia]

Sophitia didn't have time to react. The reflection, of her frightened face, was evident on the blade itself. She did a surprising thing, when she saw Ana fall to the ground with a wound. “Mama!” Her voice cried out in shock. Her body shook physically and mentally: Blythe had just tried to kill her! What could someone in her position do? She hadn't been strong enough to defend herself- this was what Blythe must have been predicting. Her jaw bared her infant fangs. She wanted to attack Blythe, while she struggled with their leader, Ana. However, her body wouldn't move.

It wasn't until Ana spoke to her, that she saw the blood coming from the wound. If she had tears, she was sure she would have shed them. Why did she feel something for this woman? It was then that she completely forgot about Ed and the others. She ran to her and hugged her, never-minding the wound.

Vampires couldn't die again, could they? She was now covered in Ana's blood, her fear gripping her when Ana commanded her to feed from her. Her hunger took over, smelling the ripeness of the warm substance. She fed greedily, but pulled back when commanded.

Ana was not her mother, but she was the mother of darkness. Sophitia knew that she was a child of darkness and instantly felt a connection growing. Her body felt a strange surge of strength. It was then that she realized she could talk to Ana through her mind. She didn't, feeling too frightened.

She watched Blythe being dominated by Kraven and Ana. It was an odd sensation, this hatred that suddenly built in her chest. She walked toward Blythe, her small frame was no longer full of fear.

Sophitia hissed her anger and struck Blythe with her jagged nails. There would be a small wound on Blythe's face, not enough to be concerned with. Even if it healed, Blythe would remember that Sophitia was the one who had triumphed and marked her as a traitor.

“You upset mother and you never apologized. You should fear me and realize your new place!” Her little voice responded with confidence. Ed would see the dramatic change- she was no longer a charming girl, but a soon-to-be killer who enjoyed her rank in the world.

[Sage]

In his current state, he was too weak to take on Blythe. As he watched her go for the child, he simply waited for the inevitable, slumping against the frame of the window as Ana came flying through it. His eyes widened, but he could only watch what took place with one hand trained on Blythe, fingertips glowing. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ed coiling to lunge, and he slung his hand toward Ed instead. If only Ana hadn't gotten wind, he could have let the three of them destroy each other, instead he focused on giving Ed a mental trip to hell by triggering traumatic memories in his mind to subdue him.

He was in no state to engage her directly, and to attempt an unfocused restraint using sunlight could possibly harm Ana. He could only watch on in horror as the two struggled briefly before Ana came up victorious, at which point she requested Kraven see to Blythe's death. Kraven reached out to Ana with his mind. He had an idea that would be hard for him to propose to her, but his newfound confidence in their relationship spurred him forward regardless.

With your permission, Mistress...I have done you a disservice. I have waited for some time to be met with an opportunity to come across a rogue vampire, or one of your own here who would dare defy you. My sincerest apologies, but here me now. I could use a specimen, for research purposes, and she is finer than any I could hope for. I can assure you that she will endure the most unimaginable and excruciating pain in my care, and eventually...she will die. And the end result will be my better understanding how to both serve and protect you in the future. I will take her from here, to my home. What say you?

Ana need not have fear of harm from Kraven, and he knew she would not see a risk in letting him have his study of Blythe, but in her rage she may very well reject his proposal and perhaps even turn on him next.


Edicius

Edicius was several fractions slower than either Blythe or Ana, and by the time he was unable to react he felt struck by something that seemed to be directed at harming him, but there was no physical impact. He recoiled all the same, and his vision turned white, he'd gone blind again and could no longer hear the scuffle nearby. He was somewhere else entirely, some time else.

Edicius strained to see through the leaves, his target was hard to make out. He was just outside Roth, in the canopy of Darkwood Forest, and he had come home. He had been told specifically never to return, for his and his mother's safety. If they knew she had helped him to survive, they would have been both killed for treason. He saw his mother now, and the first genuine smile he'd had in a long time brushed across his face. As it did, flowers in the nearby treetop began to bloom and shine in the midday sun.

His mother was nearly a mile away, staring out over a balcony. She was looking almost exactly where he sat perched in his tree, but her eyesight was not nearly as good as hers. She was nearly blind, and it was from her he had inherited Totesauge. The more he invoked it throughout the course of his life, the more his sight and body would deteriorate, until he died a very painful, blind death. He inhaled deeply of the sweet Algerothian air. He had spent far too long in Sythinia, amidst battle and death, assassinating people he'd never met by the request of others he did not remember.

There were terrible machines there, and they made the air stale, and the earth completely drained. Not like the soft almost sand-like soil of Algeroth. Roth was a city of learning, and scholars roamed freely about the massive structure before him. Roth was constructed around one massive building known as The Great Library, buildings, homes, and businesses literally build on portions of the Library made up Roth's inner city. He began to recline lazily as he watched a single red bird depart from the tree they both shared.

Heat. There was an explosion, that sent him flying forward out of the tree. He made the ground soft with his powers, and braced himself as he flew into the ground and sunk several feet. He levitated himself out of the dirt on an ill-fashioned stone and looked around wildly before he spotted him. His youngest brother, so hot-tempered, he had a great darkness in him he had inherited alongside his brothers from their father. His fingers danced as he juggled a ball of fire in one hand, while he stared down Edicius with those terribly red eyes.

" Good to see you well, brother. Father will reward me for bringing your corpse. "

" Gerard...please. I'll just go. No one has to know anything.

" Can't do it, Momma's Boy. Maybe you'll learn to stay dead this time. "

Fire filled Ed's vision, before everything went white, and time seemed to speed forward. The smell of charred wood and rock burned his nostrils, and he was only vaguely aware of attacking some invisible apparition with the ferocity of a Tiger-Kin. Edicius was shown a glimpse of Gerard's body, impaled upon thousands of thin earthen spikes, bleeding heavily as he cried out for his brother to stop. Pleading, and screaming deals for his life, promising his silence. And then the spikes sprung away from each other, as if alive, leaving nothing recognizable left of Gerald Selbstmord.

Ed felt as though he were back in control of his limbs, and he heard a boy screaming. He looked at Kraven, who was smiling evilly at him, and then to Sophitia, who suckled at Ana's flesh. Ed bolted from the room, destroying it and much of the frame it hung from in the process, though this time, oddly, without the help of geokineticism.

[Jen]

"Do what you will with her. I have no desire to have her in my household any longer."

Ana watched Sophi as she heard a painful scream erupt from Blythe. It was the thing she had feared most. It was the child that brought the fear to her to begin with. There was nothing that Blythe could do, though, laying on her back with Kraven nearby. She knew of his power and his strength -- even weakened he could be a problem. She wasn't bleeding, like Ana was -- but she was bruised and battered, large marks appearing on her porcelain skin where Ana had gripped her hard. They were like bruises, but more like burns in many ways. They hurt and burned like fire.

Blythe screamed again, not giving Sophi the satisfaction of a response to her scratches, too devoid of emotion from being cut from Anabel VonHagen's house.

It was as if one had been cut from the world itself. Ana was the creator of her race. Vampirism was Anabel's disease.

Now she was to be Kraven's plaything and die. Eventually.

"Shackle her and make sure she goes nowhere." Some of the Vampire elite were filtering through the door now. Their cloaks were the darkest of black with a hint of sparkle like the night sky. Their armor was dark purple and black like a moonless night, and they had a white quarter moon emblem embroidered over their hearts. The same emblem was tattooed on each member of the elite's left arm, mostly for identification purposes if the body were ever found. It rarely was.

Blythe heard Ana's voice as her body was heaved into the air roughly by three of the Elite. She gave no protest, too stunned to really have any fight left. She let her eyes fall on Ana as the girl child suckled the blood from her wounds and she knew even greater envy. Ana had never done that for her.

"Bring her to Kraven's estate before sunrise. The quicker she is out of my house the better." With that the Elite carrying Blythe left, carrying her to be shackled and transported to Kraven's household.

"She will be unruly once she is under your roof. It isn't in Blythe's nature to be set aside. She'll want to come back to me." Ana rose to her feet and ran her unsoiled hand through Sophi's hair. This one child would be her new favorite, and she doubted anyone would be able to top her. She let go of Sophi for a moment and walked toward Kraven. She looked a dreadful sight with her blood all over her. The wound to her torso was slowly closing, the blood having coagulated finally. She rested her hand on Kraven's chest and smiled before turning to Sophi and one of the remaining Elite.

"Bring Sophitia to her quarters near mine. Clean Blythe's quarters and burn her belongings. Give any clothing that Sophitia wants from Blythe's closet to her. Any belongings that she wants can be hers as well." She looked at Sophi for a moment and smiled. "You will have dresses and outfits to suit you in your room by the time you arrive. Dress nicely for our guests if you desire to entertain them."

Her attention turned back to Kraven and she leaned up and kissed his mouth lightly. Perhaps the loss of blood had gotten to her, but no one person or Vampire in the room would blink an eye. It was bound to occur at some point with the closeness of the pair.

"I need to get dressed and see how this wound fairs. I want you to guard my door. Will you, Kraven?" She had no doubt that he wouldn't deny her. She didn't even need to use her sex appeal, and she smiled a cheshire cat little grin. Perhaps she was in love, but she certainly knew lust when she felt it.

[Sophitia]

She delighted in wearing her dresses! She remembered, in her past life, that she had never had much. She would have all of Blythe's belongings, to let other vampires know that they could end up as her accessories. She looked toward Ana, before she removed herself from the room.

"If I am to entertain, I will need someone to dress me." She pivoted on her small feet, her smile increasing with the excitement. "Edward! You will help me with the guests, won't you?" It was then, that she felt Ed withdraw from her. That feeling burrowed deep into her chest. Should she be weary of an old friend now? She let her mind wander onto other things.

"Are you going to kill Blythe? Let me have her bones around my neck. It will amuse me..." Her thoughts were turning into the darker sphere of imagination. She never thought she would ask to fashion the bones of another. What was she becoming? Already, her mind was no longer an innocent, but making deals with the devil herself.

"Please? They will not be fashioned into something grotesque!" She would not have a band of bloody bones, hanging around her neck, but they would be polished and put together as any other piece of jewelry.

[Sage]

Kraven

A great relief boiled over in him when it all was done. He could not have ever forgiven himself if in his carelessness something had happened to Ana. As an added measure of safety, he mentally called out to his Captain who would send word for the rest of his men to come and meet with Ana's Elite at the edge of the ground to assist in the transportation of Blythe. In addition, Kraven strode to her limp body held above the vampires, not at all fearing the proximity, and clasped her hands firmly behind her back with amazingly fragile-looking obsidian shackles, and sealing them with a holy symbol and what appeared to be a prayer. For a time, at least, they would prevent Blythe from being able to break the bonds, at least until she was in Kraven's dungeon.

Kraven appeared to the humans as somewhat of a holy man. Despite his nature, he always dressed in bright white and silver armor, with long, pure, clean robes adorned with holy markings. He was, in fact, favored by Gods who granted him technical status as a priest. It was another facet of his usefulness that he was proud of, though somewhat resented what went along with such a burden. His devotion to Ana was so deep that he had willed his beliefs to change, and enacted his obligations to the Gods when necessary, to maintain his favor. Many of the Pantheon which Kraven represented turn a blind eye on Kalmarden, as many other gods do.

As Blythe was carted out of the room, a great rumbling sounding almost like an explosion erupted throughout the estate, and the building shifted as it landed back correctly in it's place. It seemed Ed had turned his rage into focus, beginning the repairs necessary to complete his end of the agreement with Kraven. Kraven reached out with his mind and saw no signs of Ed using his powers. He smiled an evil smile thinking about how Ed must be suffering working without his gift, and after having seen such a blatant display of betrayal from his little companion. Kraven would enjoy tormenting this boy...to death.

[Jen]

Ana ignored the movement of the manor and the slamming noises as Ed began his work. She walked part of the distance to her quarters with Sophi, listening to the girl's morbid fantasies. She smiled and patted her little child on the head and leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"For you, Sophi, anything. It will take Kraven a while to kill Blythe, so when she is dead and her bones are clean you may have your pick. There are plenty of metalsmiths and jewelry specialists in Kalmarden for you to bring your thoughts to. They will deny you nothing." Ana smiled and kissed the child's forehead once more before continuing on her way. She felt Kraven's presence close to her and she smiled as she opened the door to her quarters and invited him inside. It was not unusual for him to guard the inner sanctum of the Mother's quarters -- even if nothing ever came of it.

"Make sure no one enters. I need some time to recouperate after that episode." Ana walked to a mirror in the sitting room and leaned in to look at herself. She frowned and shook her head as scratches on her face healed themselves. Her eyes were focused on the small imperfections, rapt with the desire to see them disappear.

"I can't say that I didn't expect something to occur when Sophi and Ed were brought here. I just didn't expect the severity of the situation." Ana unbuttoned the long coat ruined with her blood and tossed it on the fire. It flared a bright blue before engulfing the expensive fabric and blood. She stood there admiring her wound for a few minutes, parting her sliced bodice for a better look. It didn't hurt, well not anymore anyway. It had on impact, but if she were correct it would take several days to work its way out of her system. Ana huffed with frustration.

"I'm getting lazy in my old age. I should never have trusted Blythe with Sophi. Especially since I had some idea of her power when I turned her. I did not expect Blythe to attack me, however." Ana admired the wound and shook her head.

"If I had been mortal that would have killed me. Lucky little witch..." Anabel laughed and walked into the next room for a few minutes before coming out in a light gauzy black gown that only fell to her knees. The more air the wound got the faster it would heal and the less the chance it would fester. War had taught her this, many intense years of war. The dress itself was a fine silk, one that was so sheer that it took several layers to make a suitable dress. As it were, a dress so short would cause eyes to widen. It was virtually unheard of for a woman of this age to wear anything other than a floor length gown. Anything else was, well, bordering on unsightly. Then again, with legs like Ana's who really cared besides married women?

"Does this look alright Kraven? Its the only gown of this fabric that I have. I haven't planned for wounds in centuries. Perhaps I should have some gowns made for such occassions. Then again, who desires to plan for their mishaps?" Ana laughed and walked to a closet near Kraven. She found a pair of black heels and slipped them on before sitting on a chair in front of her mirror. She brushed the tangles out of her blonde hair before finding Kraven in the reflection.

"Which shall I be tonight?" She smiled as her reflection changed to a more angular woman with dark blue eyes and long black hair. She tilted her head and became a softer and more innocent young woman with green eyes and brilliant red hair. A laugh, almost playful, bubbled up as she shifted her form once more to appear tan skinned with dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. She was a master of deception, and yet, as she shifted back to her original form with light blonde hair and bright blue eyes -- she knew Kraven would never be decieved. It was all for their guests.

"Will you take care of the wolves in the morning? They will want to know what the commotion is about." Ana spoke as she brushed her hair, the dress rippling with her slightest movement.

[Sophitia]

She thanked Ana and then made another bold request: “Let me have the weapon she tried to use against me! I will have someone fashion it to my liking...it may protect me, from people like Blythe.” Sophitia stood her ground. There was a new emotion emerging from her tainted soul: revenge. She wanted to watch Blythe suffer and face humiliation.

“Let me watch her, father?” Was it inappropriate, to call Kraven her father? Maybe. But it was all that Sophitia had- even if this was a twisted family to conjure. She tried to get into his mind and find out his fears, but it was blocked by his own doing. He could have more-than-likely felt her try to invade him.

“Now I know why Mother has chosen you.” These were her last cryptic messages, before she began to motion toward Ed. “Help me dress, Edward. They will be here any moment!” She spoke of the guests and felt her childishness return.

[Sage]

Kraven

Kraven did as he was asked, and stood like a stone sentry in the entryway to Ana's quarters. He stood with his back to the frame of the door so as to be able to see both into the room and the hallway which lead to it. Normally he would never dare to violate her privacy so, but he was not about to take any chances after having failed her so absolutely just a brief time ago. This, together with his newfound bravery thanks to Ana's affirmation and reciprocation of his affections left him not at all shy about admiring her beauty, so long as she was not opposed to it.

He smiled as she successfully healed her wound, glad he had caused no injury that would be considered serious to her. He would enjoy making Blythe squeal for even this. She would be a formidable captive, and she would not give in easily to any sort of torture or experimentation. But Kraven had powers that made even those afflicted with vampirism for centuries flinch. He would conjure sunlight to burn her, he would turn her thoughts and senses against her, and he would make her body scream for mercy as he Kraven set about using her body to gain as much knowledge as possible before slowly allowing her to die.

Kraven simply smiled at Ana's questions, she knew how he felt about her looks and indeed, as one who could see into the mind's of others, Ana could not fool him with her identity by simply shifting her appearance. His obsession with her ran deep enough to obliterate simple boundaries like those the senses perceived.

" You know I find every side of you beautiful. As far as I'm concerned, you could make even the most ragged material seem like fine threads of silk and embroidery of gold. "

As she changed, Kraven's already pale face seemed to flush even lighter, and his attention turned to Sophitia, in the hallway. He moved to face her, his broad shoulders covering nearly all of the doorway. He watched with amusement as she tried to appeal to his emotions, while at the same time attempting to probe his mind. He was excited, again, about the prospects his choice in this girl held. For the first time in a very long time, Kraven held a genuine smile for someone other than Ana. It was not the same type of admiration, but it was not loathing either, like the feeling he had for Edicius. That was a start.

" You may ask the Mistress when she is dressed. If you like, and she approves, you can come to my home for lessons to develop that mind of yours for her. If you do well, you may look in on my subject. Again...if the Mistress approves. "

Kraven nodded to a rather bulky, engraved door just down the hall from the one which he guarded now. " Go see your new room, I will make sure Ed comes to help you with haste. If you need anything for your quarters, leave a note for my men on your door before morning, and we will do our best when next we make for town. That is, whatever Blythe did not already have, and the Mistress is already, and most graciously supplying you. "

His voice broke a little from amusement to warning on the last comment. Whether he liked her or not, he wouldn't entertain a lot of ungratefulness from either of the children. To him, they were still just gifts, to Anabel.

Offtopic: Sorry for the delay. T.T; Got an internet problem here when I got back the other night. Shit is still blinking on and off, but I should have it fixed soon. >.<

[Jen]

Ana brushed her blonde hair, listening to Kraven speak with Sophi and she smiled.

"It is not every woman, alive or dead, that could boast of a man willingly bringing children for her every whim." Ana turned on her stool and crossed her legs. The dress was short, and she was more than aware of her person, the pull of the wound in her abdomen as it slowly healed. Kraven would be aware of it, even if he couldn't see it. He was allowed into her mind during times like these. She was not as depraved as some might think the mother of all vampires might be.

When she was, Kraven wasn't allowed inside her mind. He wouldn't dare pry either.

At first glance, Anabel was a startling woman. This form of hers, the blonde, was her original form. It was the one she had been given when she was born as a human girl child so many centuries ago. She had grown into a woman before the war, and had a lover even. The lover looked somewhat like Kraven, and only the very oldest of her children would see the resemblence and whisper behind their hands. Perhaps this was why Kraven had been spared of her disease.

"I am proud of Sophi. She is a good child if somewhat tumultuous. I approve of her desire to learn her abilities and focus them. I would be most pleased if you would teach her Kraven. There is no other I would trust her safety with but you." Ana uncrossed her legs and rose to her feet, the black gown swaying with iridescence around her body. Sensuality was a trait that most of her children could empower themselves with. Sexuality was something that very few could pull off half as well as Anabel VonHagen.

"Dawn will be in three hours. The wolves will arrive an hour after dawn. Do apologize for me, will you Kraven? Edicus seems to have made quite a mess of things and caused worry among allies. Now, our guests are here. Will you recieve them with me Kraven? And you, Sophi?"

Ana held her hands out to Kraven with a smile on her lips, even as she asked Sophi, who had yet to go change her clothes and become presentable.